Category Archives: Finances

It’s been ages since I posted and this year has been filled with twists, turns and unexpected trials and triumphs. With my son moving up to 1st grade and my daughter going into her last year of nursery school, I found myself at a crossroad with no idea of the next direction I would go. Being a stay at home mom for seven years was a gift that I am lucky to have had. I started my role as “Mommy,” “Mama,” and “MOM” after teaching 1st grade for eight years and loved my new identity. Time has flown by and I’ve come to the realization that I’ve been home almost as long as I was in the classroom and can’t imagine jumping back into a teaching career when I’ve been out of practice for so long. So…where does that leave me? I’m no longer a first grade teacher, an identity I cherished and was proud of, but I’m also not a mommy of babies and toddlers anymore which is what I came to love even more than my previous role. I felt like I was slowly becoming NOBODY.

Bigger kids means bigger financial needs and the strain of a single income was becoming apparent. The obvious solution would be going back to teaching. However, there are no words to describe the anxiety I felt when even thinking about returning to teaching. Being out of the classroom for so long makes it that much harder to imagine going back. If I had taken a maternity leave and gone back right away my kids wouldn’t know any different and neither would I. Problem is I know how much I love bringing them to school and picking them up. I love “Mommy and Abby days” when she doesn’t have school. I couldn’t imagine giving it up.

Conflicted with finding an answer that would be best for our family I had one of those MEANT TO BE experiences that has changed the path from uncertainty to determination. I have always believed that certain people come into our lives for a reason. There is no doubt in my mind that Tracy was one of those people. My husband went to high school with Tracy and we have been facebook friends for a while. She lives in Georgia and was a marine biologist, but is now a division leader with lia sophia. For those of you who are not familiar with lia sophia it is a direct sales company that offers gorgeous jewelry at affordable prices (Think Tupperware party, but with jewelry)! One day Tracy sent me a message asking me if I would be willing to host a facebook virtual jewelry party so she could show her team that it is possible to connect with friends from out of state and build your business through technology. I thought about it and mentioned it to my husband and he said to me, “Maybe you should talk to Tracy about selling lia sophia, she was a marine biologist and is now really successful doing this and is home with her kids.” That was it…I talked to Tracy once and signed up! That was two months ago and boy has my world CHANGED for the BETTER! Through friends and family who volunteered to host parties I have been able to get my business started and already recruited a customer to join my “team”! I am on my way to promoting to Unit Leader and am still in awe that this practically fell into my lap. Tracy has guided me EVERY step of the way and has been my biggest cheerleader. It is AMAZING to work for a company that encourages women to be their own boss, set goals and attain them, and live their dream. My dream has always been to be home with my kids. My fondest memories are of my mom being home with me and my sister. I completely understand that this is not an option for many and that there are many women who even if staying home was an option would choose to continue with their career. The choice we each make does not DEFINE the type of mother you are. It does not make one of us better than the other. It is simply the path that each mother takes on the road to raising their children to be the best they can be!

In the past two months I have gained a new level of confidence and am proud of the work I have done to build my business. Dressing up my “Mommy” clothes with all of my new jewelry has added an element of fun to my days. I LOVE being my own boss, making my own hours, and helping our family out with finances. People do come into our lives for a reason…Tracy came into mine to be the light on this exciting new journey that I am on.

As I’m sure many of you can relate, shopping with kids in NoT exactly my favorite thing to do. There is always the fighting over who sits where in the cart, then the whining that I’m taking too long, and of course the dreaded tantrum over the desperately needed toy they just HaVe to HaVe! My kids can turn a 5 minute trip to Home Depot for light bulbs into a disaster. They will manage to find something they need…such as the Tinker Bell and Lightning McQueen flashlights that are placed just at their eye level so they can pull the, “Oh wait, we need this!”

Thanks to the ease of online shopping and the availability of coupon codes, (read our post on how to get coupon codes) and free shipping, I try to avoid going out to the stores as much as possible. I was recently introduced to an online shopping opportunity even better than coupon codes! EBATES! Ebates is a company that gives you cash back if you shop through the links listed on their site. They advertise for the stores and you make money back by shopping through their link. It is a WIN WIN for everyone! At first I thought it was too good to be true, but I did my research and have been a member and shopping with them for a month now and earned over $30 back on purchases I would have made whether I ordered them through the Ebates site or not. You can track sales, coupons, and percentages that stores are giving back on their site. The money you earn from shopping is either mailed to you in check form or can be deposited directly into your paypal account. You can still use coupon codes and free shipping codes and get whatever percentage that particular store is offering back on the day you are shopping.

I know…it is only September…but I already have half of my Christmas shopping DONE! The motive for starting so early? I’m tired of stressing out during the holidays!

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The reason I’m starting so early has to do with money. If I began now, I could spread the cost of gifts over the course of several months, instead of spending a large sum of cash in November and December. Since we do a monthly budget, I didn’t want to go WAY over in December (and throw the budget out the window), all because of Christmas. I figure if I SpReAd OuTmy spending, I could easily pay $50-$150 in Christmas gifts and it wouldn’t make much of an impact each month.

The last couple of weeks I started searching for a few gifts. To my surprise, I was able to purchase several of my items half-off, just by shopping on eBay and Amazon! If I would have purchased those same items in a couple months from now, I’d be bidding against NuMeRouS(stressed) Christmas shoppers, which would make the bidding prices go uPUpUP!!! I have already saved significant cash on gifts, which allowed me to start working on the items I was planning to purchase next month. Can’t beat that!

The other obvious advantage is avoiding to shop (and panic) at the last minute. I feel less rushed doing it this way and can also make sure I get what I really want (since items are IN STOCK in September! ha!)

Christmas can be the last thing on your mind since we haven’t even hit Halloween, but if your past experiences left you in financial ruins and stress, it might be worth considering!

Those of you who know me or follow our blog know that if deciding between shopping at Target with my two kids or a root canal…the stress free option would hands down be the root canal! I am always the mom with the kids climbing in and out of the shopping cart, yelling at them for running away from me, or in last weeks case the mom with the 5-year-old crying in the isle because I wouldn’t buy him some Captain America shield he JuSt HaD To HaVe! So again…a root canal with a little laughing gas to take the edge off would be my pick any day!

Thanks to my little shopping nightmares I have resorted to doing almost all of my Christmas shopping online. What I have learned is…you can get amazing deals with PrOmO CoDeS! When purchasing online, before you pay there is almost always an option to enter a promo code. In the past I left this blank not knowing where to find a code. Now with some hard work and a little luck I have saved tons of money and gotten free shipping on most of my purchases by simply typing the name of the store that I am purchasing from and the words promo code in a google search. Once you do that tons of links come up to sites that are dedicated to listing current and expired promo codes. For example…I ordered our Christmas cards from Shutterfly this year during their 50% off sale and earned free shipping due to the amount that I was purchasing. The card that I chose was a little more than I wanted to spend so I typed into google “Shutterfly promo code” and found a code that got me an extra 20% off what I was already getting! It was well worth the time and effort it took me to find the code!

As you get ready to do your last-minute shopping, remember…the stores need to get rid of their inventory just as much as you need to buy presents. Take the time to search for SaViNgS!

A few years ago I did something that iMpRoVedour financial stress. In addition to tracking our monthly expenses, I made a simple spreadsheet that estimates what our bank account will look like in six months.

Whenever I log our monthly expenses, I also update this 6-month sheet (to see an example, click 6-Month Spreadsheet). At the top, I enter our most current bank account total. Below, I have the pRojEcTedexpenses and income for each month. You should have a pretty good idea on how much you spend if you already keep track of your monthly expenses. If not, now would be a good time to start! If your income varies due to sales or farming, etc. you need to enter in a realistic number to ensure your 6-month projection is as accurate as possible and doesn’t give you false hope.

One reason this concept comes in handy is because it anticipates yearly bills. Propane refills are already estimated in the months of October and January, so when the time comes there is no big SuRpriSeS. By taking into account all of your known expenses you won’t have to worry (and stress!) about moving money around to accommodate.

I especially like the 6-month forecast when I want to make larger purchases. If you’re itching to buy new carpet, you enter in the total and instantly have a good I D E A how much it will affect your finances in the long term. For example, you may get a bonus at work and see an immediate increase in your bank account. You go out and spend it all (and maybe a little more), and then two months later you are panicked because you forgot your vehicle tags and taxes were due. See how this could have been avoided?

As far as financial surprises, like if our car breaks down, I don’t estimate for that. You will find that if you do the 6-month spreadsheet you won’t be likely to spread your bank account too thin. Pick a number that will give you a nice CusHioN for emergencies. As long as you stay above your goal you can avoid roller coaster financial stress and feel more confident in the purchases that you make!

Do you make decisions based on the people around you? DeeP dOwN did you decide to buy a new car because all your friends and family recently upgraded theirs? Did you put your kid in t-ball because you felt the pressure from the other parents? Have you recently felt the need to go on an extreme diet because you bumped into an old classmate that lost a bunch of weight?

Whether it is what you buy, the vocation you choose, how you raise your kids, or the way you live your life, we must ask ourselves this question:

If I couldn’t see others and what they are doing, would I still be making the same decisions?

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So many times we forget to think on our own because we are heavily influenced by other people. Doug and I talk about this a lot. In our decison making we have to constantly remind ourselves that, if we didn’t care what others thought, would we still go down the same path?

Taking buying a home for example. Would you have purchased your home if you didn’t know what type of home everyone else lived in? Without thinking about it, you went house hunting feeling obligated to want certain things because you knew what other people have. Even though they weren’t there, the influence talked you into buying an expensive home, and you are left with the stress of keeping up with the payments. (If you are in a financial struggle, read our finance posts for help)

When you are at a crossroad to make a decision, ask yourself WHOyou are doing it for. Like a race horse with blinders on, tune out what’s going on around you and focus on what YOU want. It isn’t always easy, but living YOUR life will be the ulimate pRiZe when reaching the finish line.

With a tough EcoNoMy like the one we’re in, many people find themselves in a challenging financial position. Many are looking to take on second jobs to make ends meet. It reminds me of a talk I heard back in college. My alma mater, Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Ok required us students to attend chapel twice a week. These were a HiGhLiGhT for me as they were so uplifting. From time to time special speakers would be invited to address the students. One of the chapel services I remember the best was one in which ToMmY BaRnEtT, pastor of Phoenix First Church spoke about a widow who found herself in financial dire straits. He told the story about this woman in the Bible who came to the prophet Elisha, desperate for help. {II Kings 4} She was a widow, had debtors demanding payment, and on brink of starvation. If she could not pay her debt, by law she would be required to give her sons to the debtors. She had no money, no means to make money, and was at the end of her supply of food. When Elisha heard her story, he asked her, “What’s in your HoUsE?” Her answer was, “Just a little bit of oil.” Elisha then instructed her to collect jars from all her neighbors and pour her oil into the jars. As she poured, the oil continued to flow, until she had enough to pay off her debtors.

The point of this story is that the answer to her problem was in her house. She just didn’t think that what she had was sufficient. If you are finding yourself with great need, ask yourself “what’s in my “house”?” Maybe you have a gift/talent/skill that you could turn into PrOfiT. Maybe there’s some things you could sell. Maybe it’s time to downside. Whatever you do, if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with your situation ask yourself, “What’s In My House?” You may be sitting on your answer and not even know it!